Car-brake.



No. 799,688. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905.

' T. A. STEELE.

GAR BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27,1905.

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No. 799,688. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905 T. A. STEELE. GAR BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27,1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application filed June 27, 1905. Serial No. 267,206.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. STEELE, a citizen of the United States, residing at West Elizabeth, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

My. invention is a car-brake, and more particularly one which is to be applied to the rail instead of the wheel.

The object of the invention is to provide a reliable and efficient brake of this kind; and to this end the invention consists incertain novel features of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a car-frame, showing the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a like view showing the brake set. Fig. 3 is a side elevation. Fig. 4 is a plan view. Fig. 5 is a sectional detail on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 10 denotes the sills of the car-frame, which are connected by an arched beam 11, to which a transverse beam 12 is bolted, as at 13, the outer ends of the latter being recessed, as at 14, through which the beam 11 extends. The beams 11 and 12 are also connected by vertical bolts 15. On the under side of the beam 11 a bracket 16 is bolted, through which a screw-spindle 17 is threaded. The spindle is also threaded through the beams 11 and 12. Between the bracket 16 and the beam 12 is a wheel 18, through which the spindle is also threaded. The wheel is confined between the top of the beam 12 and the bottom of the bracket 16, so that when the spindle is held against turning it will travel up or down, according to the direction in which the wheel is turned.

19 indicates two spaced cross-beams, on the outer sides and at or about the middle of each of which are bolted, as at 20, blocks 21, from which threaded stems 22 rise. The stems carry spaced nuts 23 and 24, respectively, between which a cross-head 25 travels. The crosshead has apertures through which the stems 22 loosely extend. The cross-head is made fast to the lower end of the spindle and prevents turning thereof and travels up and down on the stems 22 between the nuts 23 and 24 when the wheel 18 is turned. To

each of the beams 19, at the outer ends thereof, are bolted, as at 26, blocks 27, between which the shanks 28 of the brake-shoes 29 extend and are pivoted, as at 30. The lower end of the spindle 17 is connected to a pair of toggle-levers 31, which connect with the shanks 28, respectively, as at 32, so that when the toggle levers are thrust outwardly by the downward movement of the spindle the brakeshoes 29 will be applied to the side of the railhead, as shown in Fig. 2. Both ends of the brake-shoes are rounded or beveled, as at 33, to lessen the danger of injury to the rails.

The brakeshoes for the top of the rail are indicated at 34, they being provided with lugs 35, whereby they are bolted to the blocks 27 as at 36. A brace or stay 37 extends between the brake-shoes 34 and the sills 10, said brace being hinged to the latter, as at 38, and, as at 39, to a lug 40, extending from the shoe. The

brace has a slot 41,'through which the bolt 39 extends to permit vertical movement of the shoe. bevleled at their ends toprevent injury to the ral s.

Between the blocks 27, at the top thereof, is bolted, as at 42, a block 43, from which rises a threaded stem 44, extending loosely through an aperture in a bracket 45, bolted to the outer ends of the beam 11, as at 46. A spring 47 is coiled around the stem 44 between the bracket 45 and a nut 48, screwed on the stem. The nut also serves to adjust the tension of the spring.

When the brake is off, the parts are in position, as shown in Fig. 1. The connection between the parts 19, 27, 34, 43, and 44, as described, causes them to move as one piece. To apply the brake, the wheel 18 is turned, which causes the spindle to travel downwardly and the cross-head 23 to slide down on the stems 22. When the cross-head leaves the nuts 25, the springs push the shoes down on top of the rails, as shown in Fig. 2. At the same time the toggle-levers 31 are thrust outwardly, causing the brake shoes 29 to swing on their pivots 30 and to be applied against the side of the rail-head. The springs 47 will be of such strength that the brakeshoes 34 will be applied with sufiicient power for ordinary occasions. In emergency cases the brake can be applied so as to lift the carwheels from the track. This is done by continuing the downward travel of the spindle until the cross-head engages the nuts 24. A continued downward travel of the spindle causes the Gross-head to push on the nuts 24,

The shoes are also rounded or,

' few turns thereon to prevent slipping.

which is transferred to the brake-shoes 34 by reason of the connections described, and if suflicient force is applied to the spindle the car will be lifted bodily off the rails by reason of the engagement of the brake-shoes 34 therewith. The nuts 24 also serve as a stop to prevent excessive outward thrust of the toggle-levers, which might cause the rails to spread.

The spindle 17 is actuated by a cable 49,

wound on the wheel 18, and a drum 50 on the brake-staff 51. The drum and wheel are made angular, as shown, and the cable is woundha T e wheel 18 is surrounded by an annular guard 52, having openings 53, through which the cable passes. Adjacent the openings are guide-pieces 54, through which the cable also extends. The wheel is flanged to prevent the cable from slipping up or down thereon. By these means the cable is at all times held in proper position and will not slip or fall 03, and if it becomes loose it will still be operative.

To release the brake, the spindle 17is turned in the opposite direction, as when applying the brake, which causes the toggle-levers to be drawn inwardly, whereby the brake-shoes 29 are swung on their pivots 30 away from the rails. When the cross-head 25 reaches the nuts 23, it lifts the beams 10, carrying the braike-shoes 34, and takes the latter off the ra1 s.

A brake as herein described will be found thoroughly reliable and efiicient in operation. Upon applying the brake if the pressure of the springs on the brake-shoes 34 is not sufficient to stop the car the shoes 29 are applied. If this is found insuflicient to stop the car, then the shoes 34 will be jammed down on the rails, as described, the car being lifted, if necessary. Two sets of brakes will be placed on a car.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. A car-brake comprising independentlyoperated brake-shoes engaging respectively the tops and sides of the rails.

2. A car-brake comprising spring-actuated brake-shoes engaging the tops of the rails, means for releasing said shoes from the rails,

brake-shoes engaging the sides of the rails, 4

and means for applying and releasing the latter shoes.

3. In a car-brake, the combination of a beam extending transversely under the carframe and carrying at its outer ends brakeshoes engaging the tops of the rails, springs for lowering said beam to apply the brake, and means for raising the beam to release the brake.

4. In a car-brake, the combination of a beam extending transversely under the carframe and carrying at its outer ends brakeshoes engaging the tops of the rails, springs for lowering said beams to apply the brake, means for raising the beam to release the brake, brake-shoes carried by said beam and engaging the sides of the rails, and means for applying and releasing the latter shoes.

5. In a car-brake, the combination of a beam extending transversely under the carframe and carrying at its outer ends brakeshoes engaging the tops of the rails, springs for lowering said beam to apply the brake, stems rising from the beam and provided with stops, a screw-spindle, a cross-head carried by the spindle and working on the stems between the stops, and means for actuating the spindle.

6. In a car-brake, the combination of a beam extending transversely under the carframe and carrying pivoted brake-shoes engaging the sides of the rails, a screw-spindle, and toggle-levers connected to the brake-shoes and operated by said spindle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS A. STEELE.

Witnesses:

W. N. MOMANUS, FRANK ARNETT. 

